Well, the fact is that there will always be some lemons out there. That's why you buy an US bound Nikon gear so they can be serviced under warranty. Or simply just return and exchange for another one that doesn't have the minor issue.

Personally, I was pretty excited to get the D7000. I have a D300 and a D200 that I shoot with. This past weekend I had to shoot the Fed Cup Final which was an indoor event. I tested both D300 and the D7000 first under the same condition. There's no comparison. There are so much more details coming from the D7000 shots at the higher ISO. I shot mostly ISO 4,000, 1/1,000 sec @ f2.8.

I have not tested to look for the hot pixels in the video mode. Personally, I don't think I'll ever be shooting video with the camera. I am a firm believer that if I want video, I would rather use a dedicated video camcorder instead of the SLR. I'm happy with my D7000 purchase. Ultimately, it's your purchase decision. Whatever camera you get, use it well and be rewarded with wonderful images and memories to look back upon. Have a fabulous evening.